I've had a tyre brand and model recommended to me, but there are none of them available in Brisbane for another week, so with being impatient and wanting to fit my new 18's NOW the tyre shops have recommended the following tyre brands/models in a 235-40-R18 95W (I'd prefer 235-45-R18 but they're expensive).
They are for my TJ AWD on 18 x 8 (40 offset) rims.

Achilles ATR Sports 2 - this is what was recommended, but nil stock.

These are what they're trying to sell to me:
- Nexen N-5000
- Sunitrac Focus-9000
- Maxxis MAV-1
- Blue Streak Stileto Sport
- ??? Hero Z-1
- Accelera ????

Any advice/recommendations would be great (and yes, I have Googled the tyre reviews).

I have Maxxis MAV-1's on mine at the moment and i'm pretty happy with them.

I know a place that can get you Federal 595 tyres in 235/40r/18 for about $120 each delivered, They are a Good daily tyre that will give you 40-50,000 kms, Considering the harder compound of them they grip quite well in wet and dry and are very safe. If you want to know more send me a PM and i will link you to their Facebook Group, They are based in canberra but do send australia wide i'm pretty sure.

They seem to be the best value tyre i have found and are cheap due to their popularity similar to kumho ku31. Very popular in the racing and drifting community.

The Maxxis MA-V1s are supposed to be a decent tyre. I had the MA-Z1s previously, and while they were rough around the edges (very noisy, and had a pretty solid vibration through the steering) they gripped like anything and wore well. In having said that, the Z1s have a very aggressive tread pattern, so the V1s would be a lot quieter.

I would go the MA-V1s, or maybe the Nexens. Nexen seem to be getting a reputation for making decent tyres.

In Brisbane, Option 1 Garage (http://www.option1garage.com.au/NewTyres.htm) sell the Federal 595s. They have an aggressive tread pattern though, so I suspect they would be reasonably noisy.

Maxxis. All the others are complete shit

Thanks all, looks like I'll be going with the Maxxis.

I have Nexen N6000 on my car, and, I have to say, the grip levels are better than the Maxxis, and quieter too.
All up, they cost me under $1000 fitted and balanced.

Maxxis MA-V1's on my old 18's and were brilliant for the price you pay (think i paid around 130 a corner 2 years ago).

Maxxis or Achilles ATR Sports 2 that's what I've got on mine now. There not noisy and grip well

I have Nexen N6000 on my car, and, I have to say, the grip levels are better than the Maxxis, and quieter too.
All up, they cost me under $1000 fitted and balanced.

Wow that's alot of money man.... Could get some of the worlds top tyres for that sort of money.

Wow that's alot of money man.... Could get some of the worlds top tyres for that sort of money.

If people want to spend thousands on the best brands, let them. But these are what I could afford at the time when I have a wife, 2 school age kids, 2 home loans, bills, plus ontop of that a big interstate move.

To the OP.
The Nexens proved to be very capable, I got them just before we drove 6000 odd kays accross Australia, for the amount of gear we brought, the roads we took, I could not fault them. Tyre wear is excellent, they showed very little feathering on the outside edges, even after some of the spirited driving we did. So far I have done 15000km with them and the tread is still a long way from the wear markers.

Wow that's alot of money man.... Could get some of the worlds top tyres for that sort of money.

Dude his wheels are pretty big. Will be tough getting max summer sport tyres in that size for $250 each...

The thread was about 235/40/18s so i presumed that was the size he got.

The thread was about 235/40/18s so i presumed that was the size he got.

Correct :)

I'm in a similar situation as grelise, except that mine is an expensive ex-wife, hence the budget tyres.

Don't buy accelera please. They are useless in dry and worse in wet.

Don't buy accelera please. They are useless in dry and worse in wet.

The online reviews I found on them were pretty hit-and-miss. One of the shops tried the whole "we can do the Accelera's for the price of the Achilles"....

I got an email this morning from one tyre shop in Brisbane that has a heap of the Achilles (they are the only one I could find) and they now have a set sitting there for me; yay me! :)

Hurry up Saturday.

Please don't buy Achilles. If you cant put decent tyres on your car, then dont drive. There is a reason they are cheap.

Please don't buy Achilles. If you cant put decent tyres on your car, then dont drive. There is a reason they are cheap.

I've had a few people recommend them, and the online reviews for them are quite good; and they meet the standards for tyres able to be sold in Australia.
Have you had a bad experience with them?

I've had a few people recommend them, and the online reviews for them are quite good; and they meet the standards for tyres able to be sold in Australia.
Have you had a bad experience with them?
thats what made me get my set

Please don't buy Achilles. If you cant put decent tyres on your car, then dont drive. There is a reason they are cheap.

they are actually a good tyre I run them on my magna, they grip well

I'd get them again, even after the F1's...

Just to save some dough...

and they meet the standards for tyres able to be sold in Australia.

This certainly isn't directed at Achilles tyres, but just because it can be legally sold in Australia doesn't mean that it's reliable, safe, or any good to drive on. There's a lot of dangerous tyres for sale currently.

My misses' nankangs are the worst wet tyre period.

Still would just get the federal 595 or kumho ku31 if i was you.... Guaranteed decent tyres and whole set of each fitted for 600.

Scratch that about the achilles, i was wrong. There is a chinese brand called something similar which i ran temporarily on the magna after a blowout, they were just ****ing awful.

Achilles might be OK, seem to get a good rap on tirerack for a budget tyre.

Still would just get the federal 595 or kumho ku31 if i was you.... Guaranteed decent tyres and whole set of each fitted for 600.
Federal 595s might be around that price, but the best price in Brisbane I could find for KU31s in OP's size was $202 ea. Most stores were $215-220 ea.


Scratch that about the achilles, i was wrong. There is a chinese brand called something similar which i ran temporarily on the magna after a blowout, they were just ****ing awful.
Antyre, Austyre or Accelera?

Durun a-ones

Federal 595s might be around that price, but the best price in Brisbane I could find for KU31s in OP's size was $202 ea. Most stores were $215-220 ea.


Antyre, Austyre or Accelera?

Get them shipped from one of the large outlets like tempe tyres... they are $150 each. Not that i support paralell imports but the prices are that much better.....

and like i said earlier federals are even cheaper, should be about 500-550 a set fitted.

brands/models in a 235-40-R18 95W (I'd prefer 235-45-R18 but they're expensive)

Be aware that 235/40R18 is nominally 19mm smaller in diameter than the stock 215/60R16 fitted to the AWDs; in some states at least that would make them illegal (as being more than 15mm different in diameter), though I seem to recall that Qld allows 20mm undersize - in which case you're okay...

I'm gonna test out the achilles atr sports picking two up tomorrow should be good for what I need them for

Be aware that 235/40R18 is nominally 19mm smaller in diameter than the stock 215/60R16 fitted to the AWDs; in some states at least that would make them illegal (as being more than 15mm different in diameter), though I seem to recall that Qld allows 20mm undersize - in which case you're okay...
Can go 26mm smaller in Qld.

Good pickup though. 235/40s are only 10mm smaller on my VR-X (225/50/17s standard).


Get them shipped from one of the large outlets like tempe tyres... they are $150 each. Not that i support paralell imports but the prices are that much better.....
Yeah but by the time you have them shipped and then fitted/balanced, the price difference is negligible. They're a much more attractive proposition if you can drive to somewhere like Tempe and get them to fit them.

Plus after hearing a story about Tempe recently (possible from Kif? It was regarding Kumho tyres and was posted on these forums), I know I would be in no hurry to purchase from them.

Thanks all.

I rang Vic Roads this morning (where I'm from and my car is registered) and the 40 profile is legal so they won't void my insurance or anything.

I'm gonna test out the achilles atr sports picking two up tomorrow should be good for what I need them for

Alot of the QLD guys use these and swear by them.

Dave: Altenzo by any chance....

SuFz :ninja:

Alot of the QLD guys use these and swear by them.

Dave: Altenzo by any chance....

SuFz :ninja:they look pretty good if the weather was gonna clear up was gonna chuck the 18's on and give them a thorough testing lol

they look pretty good if the weather was gonna clear up was gonna chuck the 18's on and give them a thorough testing lol

muzza (Verada on 20s), megatron (EVO X) & QMD///801 (SC Ralliart) here in QLD give them a pretty thorough thrashing on track days and the like..

SuFz :ninja:

I noticed them on Facebook don't they use the semi slick tyre?

Think it was Kif who had issues with tyres from Tempe Tyres, he contacted Kumho how advised him that Tempe do not sell Kumho but fakes

I also contact Kumho as the cost to me wholesale is often more than Tempe charge retail, I was aksing what is going on with that and I got the exact same response from Kumho so for this reason I would not go near them in a pink fit, when it comes to car parts if I can not be sure I am getting what I am paying for I go elsewhere, this is how I do business here and is how I expect to do business with others

Alan does on his Evo..

Pete & Simon use the ATRs daily..

SuFz :ninja:

Think it was Kif who had issues with tyres from Tempe Tyres, he contacted Kumho how advised him that Tempe do not sell Kumho but fakes

I also contact Kumho as the cost to me wholesale is often more than Tempe charge retail, I was aksing what is going on with that and I got the exact same response from Kumho so for this reason I would not go near them in a pink fit, when it comes to car parts if I can not be sure I am getting what I am paying for I go elsewhere, this is how I do business here and is how I expect to do business with others

That is incorrect, they are not fakes they are parralel imports. As i would suggest 90% of their tyres are. Just means your money doesn't go to the people who deserve it, for putting time and money into making the tyre.
Kif just has sidewall splits because when the small sidewall of the 20 inch ku31 has alot of weight on them like kif's car, they split. Their load rating seem to be very marginal.

I wouldnt trust tempe as far as i could throw them LOL

Very happy with the Dunlop SP sport fast response - 235/40 18 W rated with a 95 load rating. Beaurepairs deal, got them for $900 fitted for a set of 4.

Similar to the Kuhmo KU 31's that I used to have only quieter and assymetrical tread pattern. Excellent grip wet or dry and after 2 years still has around 60% tread (I rotate every 5000ks-10000ks) and I don't drive like a granny.

Just for my info, some quick research on the web shows that the Michelin Pilot Super Sport is currently one of the tyre heroes of the moment. Are they costly? Meet Aussie design standards?

pilot super sport are extremely expensive if i remember correctly

pilot super sport are extremely expensive if i remember correctly

235/45 17 landed here in australia from tirerack for $1000. They are the dogs bollocks

Ended up putting Nexen N8000's (235-40-18) on her and have done 1,500km's around Brisbane and back up here to central Qld and they've impressed me so far, even over the multiple shitty roadworks sections on the highway in the wet and all of the damned gateways to hell that are called potholes...

How much in 18 Dave? i had a feeling they were about 1500 landed in 18s so i went to asymmetric 2s